Emergency Contact Contaminated bunkers — Is there an answer to the problem? Home Latest updates News Contaminated bunkers — Is there an answer to the problem? 24 Jul 2019 Download Sign up for alerts This article was written in collaboration with Siew Chi Tan, Partner at Ang & Partners. Problems with bunkers supplied in the U.S. Gulf region, South America, Caribbean and Far East have been widely r eported. Those familiar with these reports will be aware of the common problems faced, which include the blocking of fuel filters and sticking of fuel injection pumps. Furthermore, some ships have reported engine damage and failure as a result of contaminated bunkers, raising serious safety concerns. Some testing laboratories have issued alerts to shipowners and operators to avoid using bunkers which are found to contain substances such as styrene, indene, phenol, 4-cumylphenol and Fatty Acid Methyl Esters (FAME). This article considers the definitions of contaminated bunkers, in accordance with the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), and advises Members of the due diligence they must apply in acquiring bunkers. Lack of standardised limits and tests Much of the difficulty in dealing with these reports of contaminants is that the standard ISO tables do not extend to specifying limits or tests for such contaminants.  More specifically, the general requirements under clause 5 of the ISO 8217 standard, does not provide any specified limits for such substances or standard testing methods. There are currently three editions of the ISO standard that are used in Singapore (2005, 2010 and 2017 editions). ISO Standard 2010 Edition (ISO 8217:2010) Clause 5.5 of the 2010 edition, which is commonly used by bunker suppliers in Singapore, states that “the fuel shall not contain any additive at the concentration used in the fuel, or any added substance or chemical waste that jeopardizes the safety of the ship or adversely affects the performance of the machinery;